1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to the field of protective equipment for children, specifically a cover that can be used as a protective barrier between a child and a hot and/or unsanitary surface.
2. Background
Each day, children come into contact with multiple surfaces, whether they are at home, in restaurants, on playgrounds, in parks, at school, or in cars. However, the surfaces on which children sit or play are often soiled, germ-filled, and/or too hot for a child's delicate skin. Thus, it is often necessary to cover surfaces with a protective barrier to shield a child and protect their skin and health. However, many protective products are not designed for use outdoors, over surfaces that become extremely hot, and/or are difficult to clean. Moreover, many products that are currently on the market are unable to be configured for various uses, such as for use with bucket swing seats, high chairs, stroller, car seats, and shopping carts. Therefore, it is necessary to buy multiple products for each individual use. Additionally, many products on the market are not adapted for use as changing pads or play mats, and/or they are multi-part designs rather than one-piece products.
What is needed is a portable protective cover that can be used in a variety of applications. The cover should be lightweight, easy to clean, and in some embodiments should be a single unit having insulating properties to minimize thermal transfer between a hot surface and a child's skin for an adequate amount of time. The cover should be adapted to substantially conform to the interior surface geometry of a bucket-style swing seat, a high chair, and various other child seats. The cover should also be adapted for use as a changing pad and play pad. In some embodiments, the protective cover should also adequately shield all parts of a child's body that would normally come into contact with a swing seat or high chair seat without a cover. In some embodiments, the cover should be disposable after a single use.